They believe that if everyone took two minutes at the end of every presentation to show this slide that asks five basic — but critical — questions transformation could occur. In times of tragedy, families would experience less anxiety, knowing their loved one’s wishes are being met.

Matthew and Alexandra ask that you download the slide, start a viral movement, have these conversations and transform end-of-life care. To learn more visit Engage with Grace, where you can download the one slde, register for free, learn how to start the conversation and store your answers to the questions.

The California HealthCare Foundation’s Chronic Disease Care conference had an excellent panel discussion, “Addressing End of Life Care: Having Meaningful Conversations Across Cultures.” (See: http://www.calchroniccare.org/) I went to it because “Engage With Grace” had re-ignited an interest in this issue (first brought home by personal experiences with death). Gary Lee, Susan Stone, and Brad Stuart each shared practical tips and personal stories, but it was Dr. Stuart who stunned me with this insight: “At a certain point [in my career as a doctor] I decided it was boring to save lives. What’s really difficult is to talk to someone from… Read more »

Engage with Grace is a project that’s going where others fear to tread. None of us enjoys talking or even thinking about death: that of our family or friends, even our own. Thus we shelve thoughts about an inevitable part of our lives, preferring to live in the present rather than face what scares us. Yet, by taking the few simple steps Engage with Grace outlines, we could confront our fears, defuse them with an action plan, and go forward with confidence. With grace. I’ve already answered the Five Questions, and have written about my father’s death, and my introduction… Read more »

I agree that the Engage with Grace project is important and long overdue. I have encountered so many people that are caught off guard when their family members near the last stages of life and their minds are too full of grief to think about the technicalities that come along with dying. By addressing these 5 questions in advance all that confusion could be avoided. Here are two inspiring stories about the value of this tool and ways to utilize it:http://tinyurl.com/5skrjghttp://tinyurl.com/58pkru

I think this is a great idea. As a society, we tend to shy away from these discussions, because they make us uncomfortable. But the truth is that we need to be having the conversations. We need to know what our loved ones want at the end of their lives, and we need to be prepared to make the decision for them if they can’t make it themselves. You never know what tomorrow could bring, and it takes only a second for something terrible to happen. I strongly encourage everyone to start having these discussions. The 5-question slide is a… Read more »

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